Cologne - Ubierring

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

The Ubierring is the southern end of the Cologne Ring ("Kölner Ringe"), a semi-circular, about 6 km long urban boulevard, that encircles the old town of Cologne on the site of the former medieval city wall.

First buildings at the Ubierring were built from 1890 on. A large-air raid in June 1943 destroyed the rings and their houses largely, but most of them got rebuilt after WWII. Along the Ubierring most houses got reconstructed to the old splendor, so today here is the best preserved ensemble of residential buildings (1905-1910) of the Cologne rings. Many of them have Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) facades.

Here is a detail: two Art Nouveau sisters (not twins!)